Innocence
by xMYxDAYDREAMx
Summary: Emma and Will attend what is a possible burglary but what turns out to be so much more......fluff fluff fluffyness xxpippaxx This a story for all of the EmmaWill fans....esp. Emz25 who never fails to review and ask questions thanks bbz
1. I Need You Now

**Another Emma/Will story…elements of fluff in it…more in the later chapters but fluff is good…please read and review…makes me happy to see your comments xxpippaxx**

"Will, the door's open." Emma said as they drove up outside the house in the area car. Will nodded and they drew their asps as they moved towards the open door. Emma ran her gloved hand along the wall to find a light switch but her fingers came into contact with something sticky.

"Um Will, find the light switch. Fast!" She said beginning to panic. He reached across and flicked the switch, flooding them in bright white light. Emma turned to see what her hand was covered in and she let out a gasp. Blood. Everywhere.

Emma followed the trail of blood down the hall and into the living room. Before her lay a woman out cold on the floor. "Will!" Emma screamed rushing to the woman's side and frantically checking for a pulse.

"Pulse? Breathing?" Will asked kneeling down beside Emma. She shook her head and Will reached out a hand and held the woman's. "She's cold, probably died at least 30 minutes ago." He said radioing for backup.

As the forensic team began to examine the rooms downstairs, Emma and Will went upstairs to look for ID and any other areas of suspicion. They walked through the other bedrooms until they reached the smallest one at the end. Emma stepped inside and was instantly reminded of her old bedroom. It was pale pink with fairies on the curtains and bedspread. Books and games lay haphazardly on the shelving and soft toys overflowed from the bed to the floor.

Will walked over to the wardrobe and opened it to see a little girl staring up at him. "Come on toots. It's okay; you don't have to be scared of us. We're police officers." He said kindly, trying to coax the child out of the cupboard.

"Come on, come to me." He said holding out his arms as she tottered forwards. "Good girl." He continued, picking her up and cuddling her.

"I'm Emma and this is Will. What's your name?" She said getting to the point. The little girl buried her head into Will and mumbled softly.

Will shot Emma an exasperated look. "Okay toots, my name is Will and this is my best friend Emma." He said jiggling her up and down. "Do you have a best friend?" He asked her and she smiled and nodded. "What's her name?"

"Amy." They little girl replied blinking up at Will.

"And what's your name. I bet you've got a really pretty name like Rebecca or Chloe or Samantha. Am I right?" Will asked her.

"Nope." She replied giggling and smiling. "My name's Ruby, R-U-B-Y." She said proudly.

"Well what a clever girl you are Ruby. Imagine being able to spell your own name. Isn't she clever Emma?" He said turning them both to face her.

"Oh yes, your very clever aren't you darling." Emma said holding Ruby's hand. "Are Mummy and Daddy at home?" She asked cautiously.

"Daddy's in heaven, Mummy says he's happy there." She said smiling softly. "Mummy said we were playing hide and seek and I wasn't to come out until she found me. She was a long time, I heard shouting." She continued, her face crumpling as she started to cry.

"Shhhh…its okay baby. You're being very helpful, thank you." Will said trying to stop her crying.

"Where's Mummy?" Ruby asked looking at Emma.

"I'm sorry Ruby but Mummy's in heaven too." Emma said trying not to cry. "Will can take you to say bye-bye if you want." She said looking at Will.

Ruby nodded and cuddled back into Will who took her downstairs. He put Ruby down outside the door and pulled aside one of the forensic team who did as he asked and covered Ruby's mum with a blanket. Taking her by the hand, Will led Ruby into the room and over to her mother's side.

"Mummy…?" Ruby asked sniffing. "I…I love you Mummy." She said bending to kiss her. Eventually Will had to scoop Ruby up again because the team needed to get back to work. "Mummy will be happy now." She said smiling up at Will. "She's with Daddy now."

Meanwhile upstairs Emma was busy packing some things for Ruby who obviously wouldn't be allowed to stay here. She found a little pink sports bag which she filled with pyjamas, underwear, t-shirts, jeans and jumpers. Sitting down on the bed, she picked up a satchel and thought about what else she could bring. Wandering over to the shelves she chose 3 books and 3 DVDs and added these to the bag.

Will took Ruby back upstairs and sat her down on the bed next to Emma. "Ruby." Emma said turning to face her. "You're going to be staying with some lovely people for the next few nights, I packed some clothes for you but is there anything else you need?"

Ruby scratched the end of her nose thoughtfully. "Toothbrush…blankey…teddy and Megan." She said moving closer to Emma.

"Will, can you go and get toothbrush, toothpaste and shampoo from the bathroom. Just look for the kids stuff." She added noticing his worried look.

"Now." She said turning back to Ruby. "Is this blankey?" She asked holding up a pink and blue chequered bundle. Ruby nodded and clutched it tightly to her. "Will you show me where teddy and Megan are?"

Again Ruby nodded but this time she slid off the bed and took hold of Emma's hand, leading her to the beanbag in the corner of the room. "That's teddy." She said pointing to a scruffy little bear which Emma picked up. "…and this is Megan." She said pouncing on a dolly.

"Will we put teddy and blankey in the bag?" Emma asked bending down to Ruby's level.

Ruby nodded and gave her a big grin. "Good girl." Emma said ruffling her hair. As Will re-entered the room, she passed Ruby to him and placed the toiletries in the bag along with teddy and blankey.

We'll take her back to the station." Will said picking Ruby up and tickling her.

"Car seat Will." Emma said standing with her hands on her hips.

"Huh?" Will asked looking back at her.

"Eh, you know, the law. Kids in car seats. Ring any bells?" She said giggling at him.

"Oh em yeah." Will replied looking around sheepishly until he found the car seat and carried it and Ruby downstairs. As they reached the car, Will handed Ruby back across to Emma so he could fit the car seat. Emma then settled her in and buckled her belt before getting in beside her.

When they reached the station, they split off in different directions. Will carried Ruby to the soft interview room and Emma made her way to Gina's office. "Ma'am." Emma said after opening the door.

"What's up Emma?" Gina asked leaning back into her seat.

"Will and I attended a possible burglary on Larkhill Road which turned out to be a suspected murder. The victim was dead by the time we got there, the forensics are there now." She added hastily.

"I'm sensing there's more to this." Gina replied looking curiously at Emma.

"Well the victim's daughter was in the house. We brought her back to the station until social services can take over. Will's with her now in the soft interview room." Emma finished smiling at Gina.

"Well Emma, that sounds like a job well done. Unfortunately all other free officers are working on the arson at the social work offices. Almost all of the staff are in hospital. This means that they can't really do anything for this little girl over the next few days." Gina said looking slightly distressed.

"What so we keep her here?" Emma asked unsure.

"How are you with kids Emma?" Gina asked avoiding Emma's question.

"Mmmm…okay. Will's better with her than I am." Emma replied nervously.

"He's probably more used to it. I want him to work on finding a relative for her to stay with tonight so you can look after her. Emma don't look so worried." Gina said laughing at Emma's expression.

"Will, come here." She said sticking her head round the soft interview room door. When he had wandered over she explained to him what Gina wanted them to do.

"Good luck Em." Will said putting his arms around her and nuzzling his face into her neck.

"Hey…hey, I thought we were gonna keep this outta work babe." Emma said laughing softly.

"You know you like it." Will said kissing her gently before walking off down the corridor.

"Hello Ruby." Emma said rejoining the little girl and sitting down next to her. "What do you want to do?" She asked just as Ruby picked up a book.

"Read me a story, please." Ruby said blinking up sweetly at Emma. As she took the book from her, Ruby slid herself onto Emma's lap and leaned back into her. She sighed softly and put her thumb in her mouth before settling down to listen to 'The Bear Who Went To The Ballet'.

**This innocence is brilliant**

**I hope that it will stay**

**This moment is perfect**

**Please don't go away**

**I need you now**

**And I'll hold on to it **

**Don't you let it pass you by.**

**Woo ended up being quite a long chapter for me anyway…'The Bear Who Went To The Ballet' such a rocking kiddies book, read it to my rainbows last week lol they loved it as did I when I was six. MORE TO COME…**


	2. The Happiness Inside

Will wandered along the corridor towards the soft interview room. It had been a while since he had left Emma with Ruby and he knew she was always a little unsure around children. The truth was she was fantastic with them but had zero confidence in most of the thing she did. He opened the door quietly in case he was disturbing them and stepped inside. He smiled happily as he saw the cutest sight before him; Emma was sitting curled up on the sofa with Ruby asleep on her lap. Emma was nodding off still clutching one of Ruby's books.

Will turned to leave again but Emma stirred and her eyes flickered open. She smiled across the room at him and beckoned him over so he sat on the end of the sofa. Ruby began to mumble softly to herself and Emma started to play with her hair. Ruby turned round and buried her face in Emma's jumper before looking up at her and smiling still with her thumb in her mouth.

"Does it taste good?" Will asked laughing slightly as he pulled her thumb out of her mouth and wiped it on her jumper. Ruby nodded and grinned back cheekily. "You hungry toots?" He asked again as she clambered off Emma's knee and flung herself at him.

"Yes please." She said batting her eyelids at him.

"Oooh looks like you've got yourself an admirer there Will." Emma said getting up as well.

"Jealous are we?" Will said laughing at her. She scowled so he walked over to her while still carrying Ruby. "Aww sorry babe, didn't mean to offend you." He continued, kissing her.

"You're gonna squish Ruby…and if this goes any further she'll be mentally scarred for life you bad boy!" Emma said pulling away from Will but taking Ruby with her. "Us girls are going to get some chocolate aren't we Ruby, you coming Will?"

"Ooh I love chocolate!" He said excitedly, running to catch up with them.

"Who loves chocolate?" Gina said coming out of her office and laughing at the unlikely trio.

"Will does." Emma replied simply before trying to make her escape to the canteen with Ruby.

"Hey slow down tiger, you ain't going anywhere." Gina said at Emma's retreating back.

"Missus is hungry though." Emma whined trying to get out of doing some proper work.

"I'm sure Smithy would be happy to look after her, wouldn't you Smithy." Gina said staring him down.

"Yes ma'am. Come on toots lets go get some food." He said lifting Ruby out of Emma's arms.

Ruby pouted and held out her arms for Emma again but unfortunately for her Smithy was on a mission and didn't stop, even when she tapped him on the nose indignantly.

"Looks like he's got a handful there." Gina remarked beckoning them into her office.

"No she's actually really sweet, just very attached to Will. Ain't she?" Emma said resting her hand on Will's arm subconsciously. Will just smiled back at her and then they continued to listen to Gina ranting on about the fire at the social work offices.

"The whole bloody service has shut down just like that, leaving this poor little girl stranded. She'll have to stay with a relative or family friend tonight without all the background checks because there are simply no people spare!" Gina exclaimed.

Gina frowned as she stopped talking. They were certainly listening to her but what was bothering her was that Emma still hadn't moved her hand from Will's arm. He looked almost lovingly at her when she opened her mouth to speak. Gina had to use all of her energy to concentrate on what Emma was saying rather than on what Gina suspected was going on between the pair.

"She has no family, her mother was adopted and the father only ever had one parent living with him and unfortunately she died when he was young as well. There are no aunts, uncles, cousins or godparents. Even family friends are scarce as her mother was a bit reclusive. The neighbours say that the little girl never has friends over and the mother and daughter go everywhere together, practically joint at the hip one of them mentioned." Emma said sadly.

"So we've got an orphan with no relatives what-so-ever on our hands now!" Gina said exasperatedly.

"Looks like it ma'am. Listen though; I was thinking what if she stays with me until social services can pick up the slack. I mean she knows me a little and I think she trusts me." Will said nervously.

"Look Will, it's nothing personal but if it was a female making this request then maybe but I don't think I can authorise this kind of thing. I'm not sure you could handle it on your own either." Gina said trying to explain the best she could.

"He won't be on his own though." Emma said looking up at him.

"Oh and why would that be PC Keane?" Gina said raising her eyebrows.

"Oh erm…um Will and I have been seeing each other for a few months ma'am." Emma said looking away shyly.

"Well in that case I don't think Social Services should have much of a problem with it, at least not for a few days. I think you both should take the rest of the day off and I'll give you tomorrow and the next day as well. After that she might be able to be fixed up with some emergency foster parents but if not then Emma can have a few more days but I will be expecting Will back at work unfortunately. If you two want to get out of your uniforms and the meet me back here then everything should be sorted." Gina said brightly as she ushered them out of the door and made her way to the Super's office.

Emma stood in front of her locker looking at the photo of her and her Mum when she was a little girl. They were in exactly the same position that Ruby had been with Emma a few hours previously when she had been reading her a story. Emma's picture also had another memory for her; it was when her family had been normal. Before all the worry set in. Before her mother went mad. Before her father ran off with another woman. Before Emma had been placed in care.

She hastily wiped away her tears and finished lacing up her trainers. Meeting Will around the corner from the locker rooms they shared a quick kiss and then made their way back to Gina's office. She was standing waiting for them with a big grin on her face. "You have temporary custody of her. Congratulations you two; you're proud parents for a few days!" She said chuckling as she went back into her office.

"Well…that was strange if nothing else. Have you ever seen Gina chuckle before?" Will said to Emma, who was trying not to smile.

"Only when she's drunk!" Emma replied giving in to the temptation and grinning. "Let's go get our 'daughter'!" She said taking a hold of his hand. Will smiled at her and they walked through the doors to the canteen. "Ruby, how would you like to stay with me and Will for a few days?" Emma asked sitting down next to the little girl.

"Me…stay with you? Uh huh that is good. You said I was going to stay with nice people for a few days. You were right!" She said throwing her arms around Emma's neck.

"Awwww you're so cute." Emma said picking her up and kissing the side of her head. "Let's get you back to me and Will's home. Do you want to help me cook tea?" She asked tilting her head to the side to look at her.

"Mmmhmmm I liked cooking with Mummy." She replied burying her face in Emma's neck. Emma carried her out to Will's car and they drove back to their flat, listening contentedly to Ruby's constant chatter.

Emma turned back to the cooker and began to stir the contents of the pan. Ruby continued to drink her juice and watch Emma potter about the kitchen with a wide-eyed innocence that only a child so young can have. She really had no idea of the horror behind what had happened to her mother. Emma felt a strange sense of empathy towards Ruby. She too had lost her mother and father, just not in quite such a brutal way. Her mother was taken from her and her father had left her whereas Ruby's parent's lives had been taken away from them. Still she knew the feeling of being completely alone while being surrounded by a sea of people. No matter what the social workers told her, she knew that putting Ruby into a care home would only destroy the innocence that a child like her needed. A care home would open her eyes to just how bad the world could really be. Emma had been introduced to this very early on in life as a result of her stint in a care home, fortunately for her she'd had loving foster parents to guide her away from trouble but for some kids it just isn't enough or it's a case of too little too late.

Emma felt the tears prick at the back of her eyes so she quickly busied herself with the pan of spaghetti bolognaise again. "Ruby, can you go and tell Will that tea's nearly ready?" Emma asked her, lifting her down off the units. She nodded and ran off towards the living room where Will was watching football on the telly.

"Will…Emma says it's nearly tea-time." Ruby said looking shyly at him from underneath her fringe.

"Oh really." He said lunging towards her and pulling her squealing onto the sofa beside him. "You tickly?" He asked, already knowing the answer as she was wriggling and giggling at his tickling fingers.

"Oi Will behave yourself!" Emma said pretending to be angry but failing miserably as she was giggling at the sight of him being such a softie. "Tea's ready, what do you want to drink Ruby?" She asked taking her back through to the kitchen where they ate tea.

Emma sat in the corner of the bathroom flicking contentedly through a magazine while Ruby sat splashing around in the bathtub. "Can I get my hair washed please?" Ruby asked her, hanging her arms over the side of the tub. Emma nodded and began to rub the sweet smelling shampoo into her hair.

"Okay missus I think any longer in that bath and you'll turn into a prune!" Emma said jokingly while lifting Ruby out of the bath. Ruby pouted but cheered up when Emma told her that she'd let her choose her bedtime story if she was good. She sat smiling happily while Emma French plaited her hair before tucking her up in bed and sitting down to read her a Peter Rabbit story. When she'd finished reading she looked up to see Ruby already fast asleep in the middle of the spare room bed. She looked quite comical as all Emma could see was her little face and a tuft of hair sticking out from the masses of duvet that surrounded her. She gently kissed her forehead and turned off the main light before making her way back through to the living room.

"Babe, are you okay?" Will asked coming to stand behind Emma who was looking out of the large window in the living room. Emma shook her head slightly and sighed when she felt Will snake his arms protectively round her waist. "What's wrong? Can you tell me?" He asked looking slightly upset.

"Yeah but it's…it's difficult." Emma said leaning back into him. "I…I lost my Mum and Dad too. I was the same age as Ruby but they didn't die. My Mum had a mental breakdown and went mad; my Dad left shortly afterwards and ran off with another woman. I only saw my mother a handful of times after that, they wouldn't let me visit much and…and then she committed suicide. My Dad hasn't been in touch since the day he left. He abandoned me and I was forced to live in a care home until I was eight. Those four years were the worst of my life. I…I hated it but nobody would listen to me. Eventually I was fostered and those two people became the parents I had been missing for so long. I forgot what it was like to be loved unconditionally, what it was like to have someone I could turn to no matter what. People who would love me for me and never judge me no matter how bad I was. I was Ruby about 20 years ago!" Emma finished turning into Will and burying her head in his chest.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. It's just not something I like to share. Mum and Dad, well the people I call Mum and Dad are actually my foster parents, I'd like you to meet them. They're lovely people, you'd get on great I know it." She said cuddling him.

"Emma…I don't know if this is what you want but I want to spend the rest of my life with you. It may seem a bit soon but I don't want Ruby to end up in a care home like you did. I don't think that's what you want either. I want us to be a proper family, for Ruby to be our daughter and for us both to be able to give her the love and attention that she needs." Will said kissing the top of Emma's head.

"How do you feel about that babe?" Will asked a still silent Emma.

"I…I'd love to Will." Emma replied letting him pick her up and carry her through to their bedroom.

**It's the state of bliss you think you're dreaming  
It's the happiness inside that you're feeling  
It's so beautiful it makes you wanna cry  
**

**OKAY NOW THIS IS OFFICIALLY THE LONGEST CHAPTER I HAVE EVER WRITTEN…PLEASE READ AND REVIEW…I LIKE THE REVIEWS…I LIKE THEM LOTS…GETTING REVIEWS MAKES ME WRITE MORE LOL XXPIPPAXX**


	3. A Place So Safe

The sunlight seeped in through the curtains and Emma woke with Will's legs entangled in her own. She gently manoeuvred herself out of bed without waking him and slipped on a pair of pyjamas before padding softly along the corridor towards the spare room. Pushing the door open she saw Ruby sitting in the middle of the huge bed reading herself a story. The little girl smiled as she saw Emma standing in the doorway before going back to her book.

Emma clambered into bed next to Ruby and wrapped her arms around her. "Oooh you're nice and warm." She mumbled into Ruby's silky soft hair. "Do you want me to read to you?" Emma asked as she was snuggled into. She took Ruby's nod as a yes and began to read to her.

Will came through to the bedroom about twenty minutes later to find them both still cuddled up under the duvet covers and giggling at him. Ruby wriggled out of bed and ran over to him, flinging her arms around his leg. "I'm hungry." She said looking up at him pouting.

Will laughed and raised his eyebrows at Emma. "She really could be your daughter!" He exclaimed laughing at the similarities that both Emma and Ruby had. Taking her hand he led her through into the kitchen and began making her some toast.

Emma wandered through to the kitchen a few minutes later fully clothed after her shower and she kissed Will lightly on the lips. Then turning to Ruby who was pulling on her sleeve she bent down to her level and looked questioningly at her.

"Can I get some honey please?" She asked smiling at Emma.

"You don't need honey, you're sweet enough already but of course you can darlin'." She replied tickling her gently. "There we go." She said after spreading the honey all over Ruby's toast.

"Thank you." Ruby mumbled back through a mouthful of sticky toast. After she'd finished eating Emma produced the baby wipes and began to scrub off all the honey from her little sticky fingers and face. She then took her through to the spare room and picked some of the clothes out of the bag and helped her get dressed. About ten minutes later the pair of them reappeared with Ruby dressed in a white three-quarter sleeved t-shirt, a denim pinafore and white tights with hearts of them.

"Awww she looks gorgeous babe, just like you." Will said admiring them both and then kissing Emma. "Are we gonna go to the park today?" He asked trying to put on Ruby's shoes. They sat on the grass watching Ruby playing with some other children a short distance away in the park and Emma smiled. When they had been walking to the playground they had looked like a proper little family. Granted that Emma would have had to have been twenty when she had given birth if she really was to have been Ruby's mother. Still they looked and felt the part.

Will turned to look at Emma who was watching Ruby playing on the slide with a contented smile playing on her lips. "I was thinking about what we were talking about last night." He said breaking her little dream. "I was wondering what your opinions on adopting Ruby and becoming her joint legal guardians." He finished, taking her hands in his.

"Nothing would make me happier." She replied pulling him to his feet and wandering across to where Ruby was standing. "You want to go on the seesaw toots?" Emma asked bending down to talk to her.

Will smiled and laughed as Emma and Ruby squealed from the other end of the seesaw. They had tried to balance out their weight by putting two on one side and one on the other but it didn't seem to have worked. He saw the pair of them whispering and shooting little glances at him but he didn't register their excitement until he saw that Emma had grabbed Ruby and jumped off so he went shooting towards the ground.

They walked out of the park with Emma and Ruby still giggling evilly and Will grumbling softly. "My bum hurts!" Will exclaimed as Emma shot him a look. She whispered something in his ear and he perked up considerably. "Miss Keane, I didn't know you were that kinky!" He replied smacking her bum gently.

Twenty minutes later both Emma and Will were sitting back in the chairs in front of Gina's desk. The difference though was that Ruby was sitting bouncing on Emma's knee. "So what can I do you for?" Gina asked sitting down opposite them.

"We…Will and I were talking about how we've become really attached to Ruby and we were wondering whether or not we would stand a shot at getting her adopted. We'd really like to give it a try." Emma said looking pleadingly at Gina.

"I don't think that there would be much of a problem in it; your working hours could potentially be an issue but I'm sure we could both be flexible and she'd only have to be with a nanny for a few hours a day." Gina replied thoughtfully. "I can't do anything about it but feel free to use me as your reference when you visit the social work offices. The alternative office headquarters is just outside Canley, I've got the address here somewhere." She finished, raking around in her drawers.

"Thanks Gina, we really appreciate it." Will said gesturing to himself, Emma and Ruby.

"Can I have a word with Ruby on her own please?" Gina asked looking directly at Emma who nodded and took Will by the hand leaving the room. "Hello Ruby, I'm Gina. How do you like living with Emma and Will?"

"Emma's nice and she acts like Mummy used to. Will makes me giggle but I can't remember much about Daddy so I don't know if he's like him." Ruby said quietly, looking at the floor.

"Would you like to live with them from now on? They can become a sort of new mummy and daddy. They won't ever replace your mummy and daddy but they want to love you and look after you as much as they can. Would you like that?" Gina asked while pulling Ruby onto her knees.

Ruby nodded and smiled. "Now I think that Emma and Will are waiting to take you back to their home." She said lifting her down off of her lap and leading her across to the door. Will took her hand in his and they walked slowly back to the flat.

"I'm gonna go take a shower Will, can you look after Ruby for a bit?" Emma asked before heading off towards the bathroom. Will meanwhile had picked up Ruby with one hand and a play station controller with the other. When Emma returned, Ruby was sitting in between Will's legs hammering fiercely on a controller with him laughing slightly at her concentration.

"Oh hey babe." He said turning round to face her as she entered the room. "Check her out, she's a natural!" He continued pointing at Ruby who'd just earned the high score on his favourite game.

"Well done Ruby, show him who's boss." Emma said picking her up and tickling her.

Later on in the evening Ruby was sat sandwiched in between the two of them fast asleep while they watched a movie on T.V. Emma smiled down at her sleeping form and she leaned across her and captured Will's lips in a soft kiss.

"Emzie, as much as I'd like to continue this, don't you think we should put Ruby to bed first. I'll go tuck her in and then I'll be back for you too!" He said kissing her quickly before scooping up Ruby and taking her along the corridor to her room. He pulled back the duvet and lay her gently down on the bed before covering her up and tucking her blanket and teddy bear in next to her. Kissing her on the forehead, he switched on the little night-light and left the room.

"Now where were we?" Will said sliding into bed next to Emma and kissing along her collarbone.

**I found a place so safe, not a single tear  
The first time in my life and now it's so clear  
Feel calm I belong, I'm so happy here**


	4. The Best Feeling

The next day Will and Emma were sitting in the social work office just outside of Canley waiting to be interviewed. Will was getting jittery as was Emma but she wasn't showing it. Instead she was sitting with Ruby on her knees, reading her a storybook from the pile next to her.

"Mr Fletcher and Miss Keane if you would care to come this way." The social worker said to them from a door further along the corridor. "Ruby will be taken to speak to another of my colleagues while we do your interview." He continued as he saw Emma taking Ruby's hand and walking along the corridor with her.

"Oh okay. Well you be a good girl eh Ruby." Emma said kissing her forehead gently and ruffling her hair. Ruby smiled and nodded and then followed another person into a different room.

"Now what can I do for you?" The social worker that introduced himself as Mark said.

"Well we were both the investigating officers on a case involving the murder of Ruby's mother. The social work offices in Canley were involved in a serious arson so they were unable to help us find somewhere for Ruby to stay and seeing as she has no family and there are no known family friends that she is able to stay with, Will and I have been looking after her." Emma said confidently.

"And you need Ruby to get emergency fostering or put into care." Mark concluded picking up a notebook from in his desk drawer.

"Oh no. That's not it. Well because she's been staying with us at home as well, we've both become attached to her. I…I was in care myself and I don't think she should be put through that. If it's possible, we'd like to adopt Ruby." She said shakily.

"Well we will have to review you both fairly regularly but seeing as Ruby has nowhere else to go and considering her age it might be better if she stayed with you as she already seems relaxed and settled. I'll have to go and sort out some forms for you both but at the moment it's a yes." Mark replied smiling at both Emma and Will.

"Out of interest, was this a joint decision and how long have you two been together. It's just procedure, we need to know some background and make sure the child will have parents who are in a stable relationship." He asked just before leaving the room.

"Oh yeah it was my idea but Emma wants it just as much as I do. We both love Ruby, she's such a sweet kid and we really like her. Erm Emma and I have been seeing each other for at least five months and we've been living together for about 3 months." Will said taking Emma's hand in his.

"Okay well that seems to be fine. I'll go speak to a supervisor and then I'll come back and let you know." Mark said leaving the room.

Meanwhile Ruby was sitting in a squishy beanbag being asked questions by another social worker by the name of Sarah. "So Ruby how do you like living with Will and Emma?"

"I love it. Will lets me play on the Playstation with him and he takes me to the park and goes on the seesaw with me. I like Emma too, she reads me stories and does my hair all pretty. They both make me giggle and they tell me they love me and they give me cuddles." Ruby said happily.

"Would you like it if they adopted you?" Sarah asked smiling at her.

"Uh huh I like them. If I can't have Mummy and Daddy back then I want Emma and Will to be them." She said quickly.

"Okay Ruby, I'll go and see if they're ready to take you home yet." Sarah said leaving the room.

Emma and Will signed the documents that gave them custody over Ruby and were told that the social work office would be in touch with them soon about an inspection. They then went to collect Ruby from Sarah's office and took her back out to the car.

"Rubes, Emma and I were wondering if you wanted to go and get the rest of your things from your old home?" Will asked as he strapped her into her booster seat. Ruby nodded and he stroked her hair softly.

They drew up at the house and Emma and Will took out the key that they had been given and unlocked the front door. Will let Emma take Ruby upstairs to her room while he went around picking up things that Ruby would probably want to see when she was older. He opened a chest of drawers in the living room and took out several photo albums which he put into a box next to him. He then took all of the pictures from the mantle piece and added them to this box along with some ornaments and box on the sideboard that contained Ruby's Dad's wedding ring.

Upstairs Emma had emptied all of Ruby's clothes into some more boxes and was starting on the books from her shelf. Ruby meanwhile was packing away all of her soft toys and her colouring pencils and Barbie dolls. Emma smiled at Ruby as she sat contentedly putting her dolls into a box, one by one. She slipped out of the room and went into the bedroom next door where Will was putting away Ruby's Mum's jewellery and the photos from her bedside table.

Emma sat on the bed beside Will and they looked at the photograph in their hands. Ruby's mum was smiling up at them from the photo and cuddled up in her arms was her baby daughter who was probably only hours old judging by the size of her.

Just then they heard crying from next door and they rushed through to find Ruby sitting on the bed with tears running down her cheeks. "Ruby sweetheart, what's wrong?" Emma asked scooping Ruby into a hug.

"I…I miss Mummy." Ruby said burying her face in Ruby's neck.

"I know you do baby but trust me, everything's going to be all right. Mummy wouldn't want you to be upset would she? She'd want you to be happy and for you to remember all the good things that you used to do together and all the happy times you had." She said taking Ruby downstairs and through to the kitchen.

An hour later, they loaded up the boot with all of Ruby's things and they set off back to Will and Emma's flat. Emma took her into the spare room and lay her down on the bed. "Rubes, because you're living with us now I was wondering what you want your bedroom to look like?" Emma said smiling down at her.

"I like pink." Ruby said, stating the obvious. "Can I have a pink room please?" She asked cuddling into Emma.

"Course you can baby. You can have whatever you want." Emma replied kissing her head. "Now I was wondering, do you go to nursery Ruby?" She asked pulling her onto her lap.

"Yes, I go to Hamilton Green Nursery. I go in the morning." She answered proudly. "And after summer I'm going to be a big girl and I'm going to Primary School!" Ruby exclaimed to Emma, who smiled at her delighted expression.

"How about I take you to nursery tomorrow then?" Emma said sliding off the bed and onto the floor. "But for now I'm going to try and unpack some of your stuff." She told Ruby to go and play with Will so she also slipped off the bed but instead of sitting down next to the boxes she dodged them and ran off towards the living room in search of Will.

Later on in the evening, once Ruby had gone to bed, Emma sat down next to Will on the sofa and cuddled into him. "You know I have to go back to work tomorrow babes." Will whispered in her ear. When Emma nodded, he continued. "Will you be fine taking care of Ruby on your own?" He asked, already knowing she'd do great.

"I was thinking that after I drop her off at nursery that I'll start decorating her room." Emma said smiling up at him.

"Well I think that's a great idea honey." He replied kissing her softly. "Now come here, I've been waiting to do this all day." He added pulling her closer towards him so that she was lying on top of him with her head on his chest. Putting his arms around her he hugged her close to him and they drifted off to sleep on the sofa in their pyjamas.

**I wouldn't change a thing about it  
This is the best feeling  
This innocence is brilliant, I hope that it will stay  
**

Yay more Will/Emma/Rubyness on the way...actually I haven't written any more than this but I promise to keep updating until it's done...not many chapters to go...might be persuaded to do a sequel to this one...just possibly...tell me if you want one when it's done xxpip


	5. The Little Things

Emma woke, lying on something soft. Opening her eyes she saw that her head was still resting on Will's chest and she was lying directly on top of him. She ran her hand down her side to check that she was still wearing her pyjamas and sighed in relief that she was, she couldn't begin to imagine the embarrassment that she would feel if Ruby had walked in on them. She lay like that for some time until she saw a little blonde head pop round the door and then disappear quickly.

"Is that you Rubes?" Emma asked softly so as not to wake up Will. No reply came so she slid off of him and padded over towards the door. "Oh there you are, how are you sweetie?" She said upon seeing Ruby looking mischievously up at her.

"I'm fine, can I have breakfast I'm hungry?" Ruby asked sliding her hand into Emma's. Emma nodded and picked her up, taking her through into the kitchen and sitting her on top of one of the units. She let Ruby choose her breakfast and then sat opposite her at the table, both of them eating Coco Pops and drinking orange juice.

"Shhh don't tell Will we're eating his Coco Pops." Emma said giggling at the thought. Will was very protective of his food, especially the Coco Pops! Ruby giggled back and put her finger to her lips just as Will came into the kitchen.

"Hey missy, are you eating my Coco Pops?" Will asked her laughing.

"But they're yummy!" Ruby exclaimed, smiling sweetly up at him with her face covered in milk and chocolate. Will leaned in and kissed Emma softly. She responded and then disappeared off into the bathroom.

"Emma and I are going to go and have a shower, can you be a good girl for me and sit and play a game in the living room?" Will asked her, picking her up and swinging her round. Ruby nodded and grinned at him. "Good." Will said putting her down in the middle of the couch.

He then walked along the corridor and let himself into the bathroom. Locking the door behind him, he removed his pyjama trousers and followed Emma into the shower. "Mmmmm I was expecting you." Emma said seductively as Will kissed her neck and shoulders from behind.

"Oh Will." She muttered as he pushed inside her. Running her fingers through his hair, he lifted her up so her legs were wrapped around his waist. Pushing her against the wall, her moans became louder so he silenced her with a kiss.

Thirty minutes later, they both stepped out of the shower and began drying themselves. "Well that was…eventful." Will commented, buttoning up his work shirt. Emma pulled a turquoise smock top over her head and let Will carefully tie the ribbons at the back. Grabbing her jeans off the chair she slipped them on and found a pair of flip-flops to match her outfit. They left the bedroom together; hand in hand they walked into the living room and saw Ruby playing happily with her dollies.

"I've gotta go to work babe, Inspector Gold won't be happy if I'm late on my first day back! I'll see you tonight babe, bye Ruby." He called, kissing Emma quickly on the cheek before darting out the door.

"I think we should get you dressed munchkin." Emma said holding out her hand for Ruby and taking her through to her bedroom. "What do you want to wear to nursery?" She asked as they stood in front of the wardrobe. Ruby pulled out a pair of jean 3/4s and a stripy t-shirt. "Good taste Rubes." Emma commented as she helped her to get changed. Sitting Ruby on the end of the bed, she pulled on a pair of doodles and then they were all set to go to nursery.

Kissing Ruby goodbye at the gate Emma waved to her until she'd disappeared inside the doors to the nursery. Turning and walking back down the road, Emma stopped at a hardware store and bought two tins of pink paint for Ruby's bedroom. Crossing the street to another shop she bought pink bedcovers and lampshades and curtains to match. Then returning home she set to work on the room. In no time, the walls were painted a dried and the room looked more homely.

Emma sat down on the end of the bed and sighed happily. Ruby was sure to love it; it looked just like Emma's room had when she was a little girl. Changing the bedcovers, Emma placed Ruby's teddies and dolls in the centre of the bed and stood back to admire her good work. The only thing that needed fixing now was the furniture that needed put back into the bedroom. Emma thought to herself that she'd get Will to do that when he returned from work.

Before she knew it, it was lunchtime and she went to pick Ruby up from her nursery. She stood outside with all of the other mums and felt instantly like she fitted in. It was strange to think that just a few days before, she hadn't even thought about having children and now she had her own daughter – almost. "Hi, I haven't seen you here before, is your son or daughter new?" A girl who could be no older than twenty asked her brightly.

"Oh, hi I'm Emma. Erm well my boyfriend and I just adopted Ruby Peters, her mum died a few days ago and she was with us on temporary foster care but we decided to apply for full adoption." Emma explained nervously.

"Wow that sounds like one hell of a few days. Yeah I know Ruby; she's a friend of my daughter Amy. I'm Lisa Bennet; it's great to meet you." Lisa said. She immediately put Emma at ease, as she was so bubbly and genuine.

"Yeah it's really nice to have someone to speak to, I was pretty on edge about coming to pick her up. I mean I'm not actually a mother so I thought I might feel a bit awkward but you've made me feel right at home." Emma said smiling happily.

"No problem Emz." Lisa replied before stooping down to pick up her grinning daughter who was running towards her. "Hello Amy, this is Ruby's new mummy Emma." She said introducing them to each other. Amy waved shyly before burying her head in her mum's shoulder.

Emma felt something tugging at her jeans and she looked down to see Ruby smiling back up at her. "Look what I drawed today Emma!" She said proudly showing Emma the picture of her, Emma and Will all standing together outside a house.

"Awww that's so good honey. Come here." She said holding out her arms for Ruby who launched herself at Emma. She smiled to herself, having a little girl needing her had never felt so good. Lisa and Emma walked together along the street, each of them still carrying their daughters who were nattering away to each other.

"This is us." Emma said, indicating to her and Will's flat as they stopped walking when they reached the gate. "I'll be seeing you tomorrow then I guess." She said before giving Lisa a friendly hug. "Come on missy, do you want me to read you a story?" Emma asked as her and Ruby climbed the steps to their door.

After preparing tea and shoving it in the oven, Emma joined Ruby in the living room and they read aloud for an hour, completely oblivious to Will arriving home and standing watching them from the doorway. He smiled, the perfect sight meeting his eyes. His girlfriend was sitting with his little girl on her knee and the biggest of grins on her face. She was happy, he was happy and so was their baby.

Emma looked up and motioned her head towards Ruby's bedroom. He walked quietly towards it, so as not to disturb them and then he began to shift the furniture back into its position. As he re-entered the living room, Ruby noticed him and threw herself towards him. "Will! I learnded finger painting today!" She said proudly. "I gotses nice and messy!" She added giggling as he inspected the dried paint of her hands.

"Cool I love getting dirty. We've got something to show you now though…don't we Em?" He asked putting Ruby down at his feet and covering her eyes. They walked her through to her room and then opened the door before uncovering her eyes. They lit up at the sight of her newly decorated room. The pink walls and matching bedspread and curtains were covered in fairies. All of her toys were on new shelving and there was a little desk and chair in one corner. A photograph of Will, Emma and Ruby along with one of Ruby, her mum and her dad, rested on the bedside table and Ruby smiled again.

"Thank you." She said softly, turning and burying her head in Emma's leg. "It's so prettiful." Emma looked across at Will and then picked up Ruby, cuddling her close.

"You don't have to thank us sweetheart, we wanted to do it for you. I hope you like it." She said, carrying her through into the living room and sitting down with her on her lap. "It's going to be tea time soon." She added, beginning to play with her hair.

Much later, after Emma had tucked Ruby up in bed, she returned to the kitchen. Rubbing her eyes sleepily she walked right into Will and giggled. "Oops I didn't see you." She mumbled as he swept her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. He took her hand and kissed it before twirling Emma round and round. They danced about the kitchen for a while before Will leant her back over his knee and leaned in to kiss her passionately.

"I can't wait for us to become a proper family." He said softly, picking her up and carrying her through into the bedroom.

**waking up i see that everything is ok  
the first time in my life and now it's so great  
slowing down i look around and i am so amazed  
i think about the little things that make life great**

**Took me while to write but I got there in the end. One more chapter to go...may be up in about a few weeks/one month if your luck please read and review xxxpip**


	6. This Innocence Is Brilliant

Emma sat nervously at the kitchen table waiting for Will to appear. When he finally got to the doorway he saw her picking at her nail and every few seconds looking up at the large white envelope in front of her. Will approached her from behind and placed his hands on her shoulders, feeling how tense she was. Leaning down he kissed her cheek and slipped into the seat next to her. "You open it babe…and don't worry everything's going to be fine." He said reassuringly as she reached out for the envelope which held all the answers.

She ripped the seal slowly and carefully and then pulled the letter out and unfolded it. Her eyes scanned the page for a few minutes and then a few tears trickled down her cheeks. Looking up at him she smiled. "We…we've got full custody of her…they want us to adopt as well, not just foster." Emma whispered, the tears still slipping happily down her cheeks.

"Oh babe that's fantastic!" Will exclaimed scooping her up off the chair and twirling her round and round the kitchen. When they stopped spinning Emma leant into him and rested her head on his chest.

"She's mine now…my little baby." Emma mumbled stroking the side of Will's face with her thumb. "I can't believe she's really ours now."

"Yeah I know it's fantastic isn't it sweetheart. We should go and read this letter properly though shouldn't we?" He asked, leading her through to the living room, picking the letter up as he passed it. They sat down on one of the armchairs and Emma curled up in his lap still grinning widely and they began to read. There had to attend an interview in the social work offices in a week's time and they would be inspected every few months for the first year but their adoption of Ruby had been fast-tracked due to the urgent need of care for the little girl. All they had to do was sign the papers and then she would be a part of their family…permanently.

At half nine Will shifted Emma from his knees and blew her a kiss as he went to wake Ruby. Emma smiled, he was going to make a perfect Dad to Ruby even if he was a little nervous about it. Will sat down next to Ruby's bed and stroked her hair thoughtfully until she woke up. "Hello." She mumbled turning to face him.

"Hey baby, Emma's a little tired so I'm going to help you get changed today instead." He said quietly as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. Holding out her arms for him Ruby smiled and nodded. Will picked her up and kissed her forehead. Walking across to the wardrobe he opened the doors and picked out some clothes for her to wear.

Ten minutes later Ruby walked through into the living room and tugged on Emma's jumper. She opened her eyes slowly and then giggled at the little girl's appearance. Will had tried his hardest; bless him but choosing an outfit for a little girl wasn't exactly a job he was used to doing! Ruby was standing in a little football shirt with a denim skirt on and white tights with pink trainers. Her hair was pulled into two little pigtails set at different angles which gave her an even more comical appearance. Will sidled sheepishly into the room and stood with his hands in his pockets looking at Emma.

"Come on toots, let's get you something prettier to wear." Emma said still smiling down at Ruby. As she passed Will she kissed him softly. "Nice try honey but I think you should leave this job to me in future!" She mumbled as she released his hands from her waist.

When she got to Ruby's room she had already taken off the outfit that Will had put her in and was standing in front of the wardrobe again. "How about this sweetheart?" Emma asked pulling out a tiny pair of jeans and a pink long sleeved t-shirt with Minnie Mouse on the front of it. Ruby nodded and Emma pulled the t-shirt down over the top of her head and struggled to get her into the jeans. When she was sitting on the end of the bed Emma put her Doodles on her feet and retied her hair so the pigtails were sitting evenly.

That afternoon they spent some time with Ruby and explained to her about the adoption and how they would become "new parents" as such but she didn't have to worry because they weren't trying to replace her real Mum and Dad, they just wanted to do what was best for her and try and be the substitute parents that they longed to be.

Three months later Emma and Will were sitting in the kitchen flicking through a photo album of the past few months with Ruby. They marvelled at how much she'd grown, how happy she looked and how they looked like a proper family now. Emma looked up as she heard a crash outside and then the faint sound of crying.

Rushing up to the back door Emma peered out and saw Ruby lying sprawled across the path with her bike on top of her. "I…I fell off." She said sounding pretty disappointed. Emma pulled the bike up off her and picked Ruby up, kissing her as she did so. Emma took her inside and sat her down on the kitchen table before turning to get the first aid kit. "It hurts Mummy…Daddy didn't tell me it would hurt." Ruby continued, her tears drying quickly.

Emma whipped round to check that it was really her that Ruby was talking to. As she cleaned up the cut on Ruby's knee she let a few tears of her own fall. Ruby lifted Emma's chin with her little hand. "Why are you crying Mummy?" She asked worriedly.

"It's nothing sweetie, I'm just happy that you called me Mummy." Emma whispered scooping her little girl into her arms. Will wandered in and pulled Emma gently to her feet, engulfing the two of them in a hug.

"Daddy…make Mummy stop crying." Ruby giggled as Will kissed her nose.

Will wiped away Emma's tears and whispered softly in her ear. "Mummy's got to stop crying, princess's orders!" He said before beginning to tickle Ruby.

That night as Emma and Will tucked Ruby up in bed she mumbled softly. "Love you Mummy…Daddy." Before turning over and falling fast asleep. Emma smiled and ruffled her hair.

"She's ours, she always will be." Will said quietly as he shut the door behind him and turned to Emma. "Nothing can take her place, not even number two. It's like every other family, the parents love all the children equally but there's just something special about the first one. That's what Ruby is to us…our special little girl." He added as he placed a hand on Emma's stomach.

**This innocence is brilliant  
I hope that it will stay  
This moment is perfect  
Please don't go away**

* * *

And that people...is that. Another fic completed another idea already popping into my head for something bigger and better. I hope you lot appreciate how much time, effort and pain was put into the writing of this because I have three bandaged fingers which makes it impossible to type with more than my index fingers and as a seasoned touch typer it's driving me nuts. This is for everybody who was kind enough to review yep that's Emz, Beth, Mandi and Danielle... I quite enjoyed writing this fic in the beginning but it became a little bit like a chore towards the ending as I just wanted to be rid of it. Hopefully this won't come across in the writing but hey...review please xxxxpip 


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